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Urge Your Senators to Vote Against HR 4089

In light of the fact that the U.S. Senate is currently debating the shuddersome “Sportsmen’s” Heritage Act, I’m re-running this earlier post…

Words like “heritage” and “tradition” are only as good as the deeds they sanctify. That’s why there’s no Slave-trader’s Heritage Act or Indian-massacrer’s Heritage Act—society has rightfully deemed those behaviors obsolete at best. Yet, the Safari Club, NRA and other pro-death groups are pushing the U.S. Senate to approve the “Sportsmen’s” Heritage Act of 2012.

Customs and tradition are fine until one’s undertakings result in the suffering or repression of others. When a “sportsman” tells a non-hunter, “I’m okay with you choosing not to hunt, so you should accept my choice to hunt,” it’s like an unrepentant slave owner asking an abolitionist to accept his right to keep people enslaved.

Some activities just aren’t worthy of being passed on to future generations. To enshrine hunting—the serial murder of wildlife that has led to decimation and extinction for so many—with a disgraceful act of Congress does not represent a step forward for humanity, but rather a stumbling fall backwards.

This bill is also a thinly veiled attempt to gut the 1964 Wilderness Act and protections for every unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System, including our most treasured national parks. A second version of this bill has recently been attached as a rider to the Farm Bill. Please contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to vote against either version of HR 4089 and for our wildlife and our wilderness!

3 thoughts on “Urge Your Senators to Vote Against HR 4089”

There are two different versions of the thing: one is a standalone bill, and the other has been attached to the Farm Bill as an amendment. The latter is probably of greater concern, because they can sneak it through on the excuse of needing to pass the Farm Bill. I think there may be some differences between the two versions, but I’m not sure what they are (not that they’re probably that significant).

Right, thanks, the version recently attached to the Farm Bill may have been slightly watered down to make it seem more socially acceptable, but like you say, that makes the chance of it’s passing more likekly and therefore the Farm Bill version is more of a threat.